Golden State Killer suspect’s case will play out in Sacramento County Courtroom

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Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, who authorities suspect is the so-called Golden State Killer responsible for at least a dozen murders and 50 rapes in the 1970s and 80s, is arraigned, Friday, April 27, 2018, in Sacramento County Superior Court in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

SANTA ANA – The case of the accused serial killer and rapist known as the Golden State Killer will play out in a single, consolidated trial in a Sacramento County courtroom, a half-dozen prosecutors announced in a unified front on Tuesday during an Orange County news conference.

Orange County District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, center, introduces district attorneys; Tim Ward, of Tulare County, left, Joyce Dudley, of Santa Barbara County, Gregory Totten, of Ventura County, Diana Becton, of Contra Costa County, Anne Marie Schubert, of Sacramento County and Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, during a press about the Golden State Killer in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. The six district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert during a press conference about the Golden State Killer surrounded by fellow district attorneys; Tim Ward, of Tulare County, left, Joyce Dudley, of Santa Barbara County, Gregory Totten, of Ventura County, Tony Rackauckas, of Orange County, Diana Becton, of Contra Costa County, and Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. The six district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert answers questions about the prosecution of the Golden State Killer during a press conference in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. On the left are district attorneys; Tim Ward, of Tulare County, left, Joyce Dudley, of Santa Barbara County, Gregory Totten, of Ventura County. The district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten during a press conference about the Golden State Killer surrounded by fellow district attorneys; Tim Ward, of Tulare County, left, Joyce Dudley, of Santa Barbara County, Tony Rackauckas, of Orange County, Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County, Diana Becton, of Contra Costa County, and Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. The six district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton during a press conference about the Golden State Killer in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. Standing behind her is Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. The district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward answers questions about the Golden State Killer during a press conference about the Golden State Killer in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. On the left are district attorneys; Joyce Dudley, of Santa Barbara County and Gregory Totten, of Ventura County. The district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley answers questions about the Golden State Killer during a press conference about the Golden State Killer in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. On the right are district attorneys; Diana Becton, of Contra Costa County, and Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County, right. The district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten answers questions about the Golden State Killer during a press conference about the Golden State Killer in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. On the right are district attorneys; Diana Becton, of Contra Costa County, and Anne Marie Schubert, Sacramento County, right. The district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert talks with the media after a press conference about the Golden State Killer in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. The district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

District Attorney’s Tony Rackauckas, of Orang County, left, Gregory Totten, of Ventura, center, and Joyce Dudley, of Santa Barbara County, enter a press conference about the Golden State Killer in Santa Ana, CA, on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. The district attorneys told the media that Joseph DeAngelo will be tried in Sacramento. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

An amended complaint filed against Joseph DeAngelo on Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court adds 13 felony counts of kidnapping to commit robbery, for crimes in Northern California, and a variety of sentencing enhancements, while consolidating into the case the 13 counts of murder he was already charged with in six different counties.

The prosecution of DeAngelo – who law enforcement authorities say carried out a wave of terror that included at least 13 killings, more than 50 rapes and 100-plus burglaries across California during a dozen years beginning in 1974 – is one of the largest criminal cases in California history.

A joint prosecution by six different district attorney’s offices is also unprecedented.

DeAngelo, a 72-year-old Citrus Heights resident, has not yet entered a plea. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment on the amended complaint.

DeAngelo was arrested on April 25, and identified as the suspected Golden State Killer, after DNA evidence from some of the crime scenes was apparently matched to samples taken from his car door and from a discarded tissue. He has so far been linked by law enforcement to four slayings in Orange County, four in Santa Barbara County, two in Ventura County, two in Sacramento County and one in Tulare County.

Leading the prosecution will be Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. Prosecutors and DA investigators from the other five counties will assist.

The decision to combine the cases rather than prosecute DeAngelo in a series of trials across the state is meant to facilitate a single, comprehensive, speedier trial, the prosecutors said. In choosing Sacramento as the trial venue, Schubert noted the devastating impact the suspected Golden State Killer crimes had on the community.

“It is very fitting that this journey for justice that has been sought for more than 40 years ends in Sacramento,” Schubert said. “This case changed our community. And it is difficult to explain to people what that means if you didn’t live through it.”

Ten of the killings DeAngelo is suspected of carrying out have been charged as special-circumstance murders, making him eligible for the death penalty. But prosecutors on Tuesday said they have not yet decided whether to pursue capital punishment.

Last month, a former homicide supervisor with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office wrote a letter urging Sacramento County prosecutors to not consolidate the cases, alleging that Orange County DA Tony Rackauckas was “unfit” to handle them. The DA’s Office described the letter by attorney Michael Jacobs as “riddled with errors,” alleging the former prosecutor was working against Rackauckas’ re-election effort in November.

At Tuesday’s news conference, several district attorneys praised the O.C. District Attorney’s Office’s role in the Golden State Killer investigation, particularly the DNA work that helped tie the crimes in various counties together.

Prosecutors are still looking at other crimes that some say may be tied to the Golden State Killer.

“We aren’t done with the investigation,” Rackauckas said. “We still have a large team working on the case.”

DeAngelo is scheduled to be in court Thursday, Aug. 23, in Sacramento County for an appearance tied to the amended complaint.

Sean Emery is a crime and public safety reporter for the Register who covers state and federal courts and criminal justice issues. He has worked for the Register since 2006, previously covering breaking news, the city of Irvine, the Orange County Great Park, and the city of San Juan Capistrano.